3%6 cook's voyage to may, 



the skins of seals, or of such-like animals. Though 

 we returned all their signs of friendship, and, by 

 every expressive gesture, tried to encourage them to 

 come along-side, we could not prevail. Some of our 

 people repeated several of the common words of the 

 Nootka language, such as seekemaile, and mahook ; 

 but they did not seem to understand them. After 

 receiving some presents, which were thrown to them, 

 they retired toward that part of the shore from whence 

 they came ; giving us to understand by signs, that 

 they would visit us again the next morning. Two 

 of them, however, each in a small canoe, waited upon 

 us in the night ; probably with a design to pilfer 

 something, thinking we should be all asleep ; for 

 they retired as soon as they found themselves dis- 

 covered. 



During the night, the wind was at south south- 

 east, blowing hard and in squalls, with rain, and very- 

 thick weather. At ten o'clock next morning, the 

 wind became more moderate, and the weather being 

 somewhat clearer, we got under sail, in order to look 

 out for some snug place, where we might search for 

 and stop the leak ; our present station being too 

 much exposed for this purpose. At first, I proposed 

 to have gone up the bay, before which we had an- 

 chored ; but the clearness of the weather tempted 

 me to steer to the northward, farther up the great 

 inlet, as being all in our way. As soon as we had 

 passed the north-west point of the bay above men- 

 tioned, we found the coast on that side to turn short 

 to the eastward. I did not follow it, but continued 

 our course to the north, for a point of land which 

 we saw in that direction. 



The natives who visited us the preceding evening, 

 came off again in the morning, in five or six canoes ; 

 but not till we were under sail ; and although they 

 followed us for some time, they could not get up 

 with us. Before two in the afternoon, the bad 

 weather returned again, with so thick a haze, that 

 we could see no other land besides the point just 



